RARE AND SCARCE BIRDS IN THE WESTERN PALEARCTIC (EXCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND)
This website sets out to accurately document the rare birds of the Western Palearctic and to feature the latest news and information offering the browser a chance to see some of these individual birds. It solicits information from all countries within the designated area and welcomes photographic submissions for use with the text.

Sunday, 15 July 2012

WESTERN SANDPIPER in SWEDEN - 2nd record ever

Sweden's second ever Western Sandpiper is currently foraging with Dunlins on seaweed banks in a small bay on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea. It was found yesterday 14 July and has been present all day today, to the delight of hundreds of twitchers. The first record of this species in Sweden was 24 years ago, back in August 1988.

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the age of the bird. As far as I can judge, a number of scapulars must have been replaced quite recently by pale grayish second winter types. A few older summer scapulars are mixed with these new feathers, and all together contrasting to the more worn and brownish-gray lesser and median secondary coverts. The head also appear to be newly molted due to the lack of rusty tones on the crown and ear coverts.

The question is if it can be safely identified as a second cal. year individual, or if a non-breeding adult can look like this?

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With the addition of the EASTERN CROWNED WARBLER in South Tyneside in October 2009, Lee Evans' Western Palearctic List reached 850 species. Lee first started his travels in the region in 1976 and in the 34 years since, has visited all but the Cape Verde Islands, the Azores and the southern part of Mauretania. His most wanted bird is VERREAUX'S EAGLE - a species not seen despite 27 visits to Israel since 1980

About Me

I have been birding since 1969 but became obsessed with 'twitching' in 1974 and haven't looked back since. Have driven over 1.3 million miles in pursuit of rare birds in the UK, where to date I have recorded 588 species in Britain and Ireland. I also have a fascination for the Birds of the Western Palearctic, where I have currently recorded 880 of the 1,064 species ever recorded. I am widely travelled in North America, as well as in Africa and Asia, and have written at least 29 books on my chosen subject, including best-sellers ''Ultimate Site Guide to Scarcer British Birds' and 'Rare Birds in Britain 1800-1990'. Established the UK400 Club in 1981 to cater for the most obsessive of the British birding fraternity and now concentrate on online publishing, via the www.uk400clubonline.co.uk website. Record Birding achievements include recording 386 species in Britain & Ireland in 1996 and 627+ in the Western Palearctic in 2008